All eyes will be on Guam in the coming days as Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te continues his sensitive transit through US soil as part of his Pacific tour amid China's scrutiny.  

As the island prepares to welcome Lai’s unofficial yet high profile visit, Governor Lou Leon Guerrero told KUAM she’s ‘excited and honored’ to meet him. 

“I think he’s coming Wednesday night and will be here Thursday then leave the same afternoon. But we are excited and certainly honored to sit down with the President of Taiwan as Taiwan has always been a close friend of our island. We have three sister city agreements with them and so we have a very good ongoing friendship relationship with them,” said Leon Guerrero. 

Guam signed a sister city agreement with Taipei city more than half a century ago, the third one between the US and Taiwan. 

It's this lasting friendship between the two islands she hopes can help improve and expand Guam's slowly recovering tourism industry. 

“Of course I will be bringing that up, on how he can provide more air service to our island so we can have more Taiwan tourists here. Of course, economic opportunities, aquaculture, telecommunications. And what can we do to help them with their industries also. And how can we bring investors here to Guam as Guam is a very growing, vibrant island and very much situated in the commerce and trade avenues,” Leon Guerrero added. 

The visit is a reminder that Guam is not just the tip of the spear, but a crossroad connecting Asia and America. 

She said one of the biggest avenues is to increase air services between Guam and Taiwan, an ongoing effort with United Airlines' new Taipei-Guam route set to kick off next Spring.  

“We now have China Airlines that has just been launched recently and we look forward to United Airlines in April. Hopefully the outcome of the China Airlines will be such that they continue on in a sustained way,” she added. 

Meantime, the President will be attending a luncheon hosted by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office at the Hyatt Regency Guam on Thursday. 

Security is expected to be tight.

“We’re excited and of course we’re preparing for his visit,” she added.